Gates gives €576m to developing countries

Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates is donating €576m to support immunisation programmes in developing countries, he announced today.

The 10-year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation will be used to buy and distribute vaccines for diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, tuberculosis, polio, hepatitis B and yellow fever.

It is also expected to encourage vaccine companies to continue developing and producing medicines for illnesses that have been all but eliminated in more developed nations, said Mr Gates, the world’s richest man, who created the foundation five years ago with his wife.

“We need to make it make sense for these firms to take resources they would put on rich world diseases and put them on developing country diseases,” Mr Gates said.

The Norwegian government also announced a €221.7m boost for the programme.

The Gates Foundation is the largest donor to the global alliance, with grants totalling around €1.15bn.

“These large contributions will help save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and prevent immense suffering and disability over the coming years,” said Dr. Lee Jong-Wook, chairman of the alliance and director general of the World Health Organisation.

About two million people die each year of infectious diseases that could have been prevented through basic vaccinations, he said.

The Gates Foundation is one of the world’s major philanthropic organisations. Last year, it gave around €64.8m to help develop tuberculosis vaccines.